Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

When Good Patents Go Bad

Posted by michael on from the there-are-good-patents? dept.

will writes "The Washington Post has a good review of patents in the information age. The insanity of the US patent system has been chronicled on this site numerous times in the past (for example, an FTC report on patent policy, some patents for obvious applications such as Microsoft patenting local weather, and Amazon patenting inside book searching). The Washington Post article does a good job of overviewing IP issues today, why the current US patent systems fails in the information age, and gives an example of patent extortion. Excuse me while I patent my DNA."

18 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. The Washington Post's web patent by corebreech · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here.

    --
    Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
  2. Re:Patents by October_30th · · Score: 2, Funny
    That's goatse(tm) to you, my friend.

    I trademarked goatse while you were distracted.

    --
    The owls are not what they seem
  3. I patent.... by sirsampson · · Score: 4, Funny

    Posting without reading the article and without spell checking.

    What's the story about? :)

    1. Re:I patent.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      You cannot !! Slashdot editors will claim "prior art" for that.

  4. Re:Patents by stanmann · · Score: 1, Funny

    You Trademarked my patent... I'll have to sue.

    --
    Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
  5. Gillettes new razor 37 has patents by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I've refused to buy any more Gillette products after their latest advert in the UK informed me in a boastful manner that their latest razor has 37(or was it 47? ) patents. For crying out loud, its a razor.

  6. Copyright it, not Patent your DNA by Dareth · · Score: 4, Funny

    Copyright your DNA. If you copyright your DNA then you can sue your spouse/partner for copyright infringement if they get pregnant or get you pregnant!

    Sure to insure domestic tranquility.

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
  7. Re:Bitter Protest against Patents (n copyrights so by BillFarber · · Score: 2, Funny

    And here I thought the 60s were dead.

  8. Re:I just have one question for the writer. by peragrin · · Score: 4, Funny
    a better question is whether or not his parents have already patent their DNA, if so does that consitute prior art. They can easily claim to have had it longer, and it is a derviative work, of merging to to prior arts.

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  9. Rerun by tds67 · · Score: 5, Funny
    When Good Patents Go Bad

    This is a rerun. I saw this on Fox a couple of weeks ago.

  10. Get it out of the way..... by BubbaTheBarbarian · · Score: 1, Funny

    I for one welcome our new IP overlords!!!

    SCO is suing for damages based on suing for patents. Seems they have a patent on the patent and claim all other patents are derivative works...

    Also, suing for use of a patent when you don't have a patent is a business model patent that they have had since acquiring the rights to said patent from a French/American farmer in 1957...

  11. Re:The lawyers will win. by penguinoid · · Score: 3, Funny

    Good, then they'll start outsourcing lawyers. Can't wait for the next version of Buggy Law+.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  12. It could always be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm waiting for someone to patent "A technique of stretching the rectum to a dangerously distended size with the purpose of photographing it in such a manner that it can be displayed on a network of computers in order to spread the photographs to unsuspecting users."

  13. DNA Patents by WWWAvenger · · Score: 2, Funny

    Patenting your own DNA? That's ludicrious! That's like a robot patenting it's own firmware.

    "Thanks for being my prior art, Dad. Happy Birthday."

  14. From the Desk of Dr. Evil by thepuma · · Score: 2, Funny
    Does this mean that I can patent my design for Sharks with Frikken Laser Beams Attached to their Frikken Heads? I believe that I have prior art on this.

    How about my design for Dolphins with Frikken Laser Beams Attached to Their Fins?

    D. Evil

    --

    Free your ecomony and enact the FairTax

  15. At least USPTO admits it... by syphax · · Score: 3, Funny
    "We're focused on making sure that we're kicking out the best quality patents,"
    -- Jon W. Dudas, deputy director of the patent office

    This may explain why so many bad ones get granted?

    --
    Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories
  16. Re:The lawyers will win. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    He *immediately* was offered a 3 figure salary

    3 figure? Was he from India?

  17. Microsoft Patents Ones and Zeros by mojoNYC · · Score: 2, Funny
    http://www.theonion.com/onion3311/microsoftpatents .html

    all the way from back in 1998, and still the all-time funniest parody on patent madness...